WE THOUGHT THERE wasn’t any further to fall on the subject of integration in the GAA.
The 2027 deadline for aligning the four codes was already in doubt. The plans for how to achieve the merger were vague. And a vision for what that new association would look like was noticeably absent.
But the events of this week have brought the situation into fresh crisis. Mary McAleese resigning as chairperson for the Integration Committee, coupled with the GAA finally admitting that they cannot commit to the 2027 timeline, brings us to a new low point.
Members are now left to pore over the fallout with no real assurances of where progress is going to come from.
Mary McAleese pictured in 2024. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Discouraged
Mayo Ladies footballer Fiona McHale and Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan are among those who are left disillusioned by it all. They both believed in integration, but are reflecting on that enthusiasm differently this week.
“It was very deflating,” McHale begins when offering her reaction to the events that followed McAleese’s decision to step down. “I was probably one of the naive people who felt, ‘Trust in the process. It’s going to happen.’ I was continuing to say that even in my own club.
“You’re thinking, ‘How could this ever happen?’ It’s infuriating. I’m a volunteer in my local club involved in coaching, I’m involved in my executive in my club, I’m an intercounty player, a club player, and I haven’t seen one change that’s happened since the commitment to integration. And that’s the bit that worries me.”
Morgan, who is also the co-chair of the Gaelic Players Association [GPA], feels similarly dismayed. Hearing the news about McAleese’s resignation was “not a complete shock” and he empathised with her frustration over the lack of movement despite her commitment to the project.
“This is a woman who has done so much for the country. She’s got four years of meetings behind her completely wasted because we’re not any further on.”
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Remarking on the appetite among players for integration, Morgan refers back to the GAA Congress in 2022. A motion from the GPA calling for integration to be prioritised was passed by 89.8% of delegates.
The 2021 All-Ireland winner is baffled by the lack of follow-through in the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association to complete the transition after such an overwhelming expression of support.
“It’s just a complete lack of leadership and guidance throughout,” he continues.
“90% of people wanted integration four years ago, and you would think at that stage, there’d be a very precise roadmap put in place by the people in charge. And ultimately, that’s the head of the three associations.”
Public Misunderstanding
McHale has noticed an unsavoury narrative forming in relation to integrating the GAA codes. And it was something which Dr McAleese touched on during her interview with RTÉ’s Inside Sport in the wake of her decision to step away.
Her overall sense of the GAA’s attitude to integration was that they were standing in the way of progress. The former President of Ireland also felt there was a power struggle issue at play too.
“I hate to say this, but I suspect that there are people who are not entirely happy about the idea of including women in decision-making at the top level of Gaelic sports.”
A key quote from an absorbing interview with McAleese.
McHale has seen how that attitude has filtered down into the membership to create a divide and cause confusion over the true objective of integration.
“That’s the narrative that’s created, that it’s a women’s issue, and it’s trying to create men versus women which it absolutely is not. Some of the best men are involved in the women’s game, and are trying to bring it forward.
“The male side of things can benefit from integration, but at the end of the day the people who are losing out the most are the females because it impacts us the most, and has impacted us our whole lives up to this point.”
Addressing those fears around tying the associations together, Morgan points to the successful merger between the GPA and WGPA in 2020. Almost 800 GAA clubs are following a similar example by operating under the one-club model.
“If you look at the GAA, Ladies football and camogie,” Morgan explains, “A lot of their frameworks are probably the exact same. There’s probably not much in terms of changing the governance. It’s just getting people to work together.”
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Patrick O'Donovan. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Uncertain Future
McHale believes that integration is still possible, but questions whether it will be achieved in her “lifetime of playing football.” The process remains at an impasse after the chaotic events of this week.
The latest word from the GAA is that they remain committed to delivering integration, while Minister for Sport Patrick O’Donovan says he has “no reason not to believe” that the three associations will make good on that promise.
As we await further instruction, both Morgan and McHale feel that members can take some initiative to move the needle. They feel male players must stand as allies for the women of Gaelic Games and articulate their support for integration.
McHale has other suggestions that can be implemented at both county board and club level.
“Some of the small wins for me are equal access to club pitches. Equal access to centres of excellence, and county grounds for national league games for female players training. I didn’t train once at MacHale park this year. I played two games there, [but] I would like to have trained there.
“I would have a lack of trust in it. I need to see action and then I’ll believe that they [the GAA] are truly committed to it.”
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'Deflating', 'Infuriating,' 'lack of leadership' - integration fallout paints bleak picture for players
WE THOUGHT THERE wasn’t any further to fall on the subject of integration in the GAA.
The 2027 deadline for aligning the four codes was already in doubt. The plans for how to achieve the merger were vague. And a vision for what that new association would look like was noticeably absent.
But the events of this week have brought the situation into fresh crisis. Mary McAleese resigning as chairperson for the Integration Committee, coupled with the GAA finally admitting that they cannot commit to the 2027 timeline, brings us to a new low point.
Members are now left to pore over the fallout with no real assurances of where progress is going to come from.
Discouraged
Mayo Ladies footballer Fiona McHale and Tyrone goalkeeper Niall Morgan are among those who are left disillusioned by it all. They both believed in integration, but are reflecting on that enthusiasm differently this week.
“It was very deflating,” McHale begins when offering her reaction to the events that followed McAleese’s decision to step down. “I was probably one of the naive people who felt, ‘Trust in the process. It’s going to happen.’ I was continuing to say that even in my own club.
“You’re thinking, ‘How could this ever happen?’ It’s infuriating. I’m a volunteer in my local club involved in coaching, I’m involved in my executive in my club, I’m an intercounty player, a club player, and I haven’t seen one change that’s happened since the commitment to integration. And that’s the bit that worries me.”
Morgan, who is also the co-chair of the Gaelic Players Association [GPA], feels similarly dismayed. Hearing the news about McAleese’s resignation was “not a complete shock” and he empathised with her frustration over the lack of movement despite her commitment to the project.
“This is a woman who has done so much for the country. She’s got four years of meetings behind her completely wasted because we’re not any further on.”
Remarking on the appetite among players for integration, Morgan refers back to the GAA Congress in 2022. A motion from the GPA calling for integration to be prioritised was passed by 89.8% of delegates.
The 2021 All-Ireland winner is baffled by the lack of follow-through in the GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association to complete the transition after such an overwhelming expression of support.
“It’s just a complete lack of leadership and guidance throughout,” he continues.
“90% of people wanted integration four years ago, and you would think at that stage, there’d be a very precise roadmap put in place by the people in charge. And ultimately, that’s the head of the three associations.”
Public Misunderstanding
McHale has noticed an unsavoury narrative forming in relation to integrating the GAA codes. And it was something which Dr McAleese touched on during her interview with RTÉ’s Inside Sport in the wake of her decision to step away.
Her overall sense of the GAA’s attitude to integration was that they were standing in the way of progress. The former President of Ireland also felt there was a power struggle issue at play too.
“I hate to say this, but I suspect that there are people who are not entirely happy about the idea of including women in decision-making at the top level of Gaelic sports.”
A key quote from an absorbing interview with McAleese.
McHale has seen how that attitude has filtered down into the membership to create a divide and cause confusion over the true objective of integration.
“That’s the narrative that’s created, that it’s a women’s issue, and it’s trying to create men versus women which it absolutely is not. Some of the best men are involved in the women’s game, and are trying to bring it forward.
“The male side of things can benefit from integration, but at the end of the day the people who are losing out the most are the females because it impacts us the most, and has impacted us our whole lives up to this point.”
Addressing those fears around tying the associations together, Morgan points to the successful merger between the GPA and WGPA in 2020. Almost 800 GAA clubs are following a similar example by operating under the one-club model.
“If you look at the GAA, Ladies football and camogie,” Morgan explains, “A lot of their frameworks are probably the exact same. There’s probably not much in terms of changing the governance. It’s just getting people to work together.”
Uncertain Future
McHale believes that integration is still possible, but questions whether it will be achieved in her “lifetime of playing football.” The process remains at an impasse after the chaotic events of this week.
The latest word from the GAA is that they remain committed to delivering integration, while Minister for Sport Patrick O’Donovan says he has “no reason not to believe” that the three associations will make good on that promise.
As we await further instruction, both Morgan and McHale feel that members can take some initiative to move the needle. They feel male players must stand as allies for the women of Gaelic Games and articulate their support for integration.
McHale has other suggestions that can be implemented at both county board and club level.
“Some of the small wins for me are equal access to club pitches. Equal access to centres of excellence, and county grounds for national league games for female players training. I didn’t train once at MacHale park this year. I played two games there, [but] I would like to have trained there.
“I would have a lack of trust in it. I need to see action and then I’ll believe that they [the GAA] are truly committed to it.”
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Camogie Fiona McHale GAA GPA Integration Ladies Football Niall Morgan response